Revolutionizing Tree Service: A Journey from Push-Pull Saws to Modern Day Innovations
I love this topic!
Modern day tree care has changed so much from what it used to be. We’ve all seen the photos of loggers in the Redwood Forest before gas powered chainsaws became available, sawing down a 200’ tree as big around as a car with push pull saws. Those boys were on a different level when it comes to knowing what hard work is…I can’t even imagine. Today we have chainsaws that will cut through the same log in seconds and machines that will carry it away with little or no effort.
It’s taken more than 100 years to get to where we are today. Click the link to see the progression of tree care (ARBORICULTURE THROUGH THE AGES) from the 1900s – 1960s. The awesome thing is, Arborists are still learning today. Tree Care is ever changing. We as tree experts get stumped all the time. Perhaps a new bug moves into town, or a fungus shows up along the front range that belongs in the midwest. Trees are amazing! On a biological level trees are far tougher than we humans are. If I cut my arm off, it is not going to grow back, a tree on the other hand will grow five new arms “branches” when you cut one off.
The tree industry today has advanced leaps and bounds in the past 15-20 years. New technologies and innovations have made it safer for the worker to perform day to day operations and more efficient ways for a tree service company to be more productive. Tree services that haven’t changed with the times are being left in the dust. The old cowboy way of tree removal, tree pruning, tree planting, and tree care is no longer accepted in the industry. We no longer hook a rope from a tree to the back of a truck to pull while the cut is being made and hope for the best. We no longer tie ladders to a tree in order to climb higher. If the company you hired that happened to pop up first when you searched tree service near me pulls out an extension ladder, you should probably fire them on the spot.
Advancements in Removal, Pruning, and Plant Health Management Techniques
Tree removal rigging techniques with the use of mechanical advantage tools have not only made it safer for the workers but far less strenuous as well. The use of bucket trucks and cranes limit risk for dangerous tree removal. In fact, today there is a machine that will grab onto the branch, cut it, and fly it out that is controlled with a control box, eliminating a climber entirely.
Tree pruning techniques that help us better understand the “why” behind a cut being made have come a long way thanks to Dr. Ed Gilman who has written numerous books and published research articles from the University of Florida. Click here to see some of Dr. Gilman’s work (Dr. Ed Gilman, University of Florida) from the University of Florida. Also, Dr. Alex Shigo has spent his career researching trees and has had a profound impact in the tree care industry. Click here (Shigo and Trees) to check out Dr. Shigos website, he is an amazing individual.
Lastly, modern tree care or better yet Plant Health Care has changed and continues to always change. Integrated Pest Management which takes the approach of how to treat or manage a problem with pesticide and insecticides being the last option has slowly become the accepted norm. The days of spraying the world with pesticides and insecticides is not accepted today for modern tree care professionals. Whitney Cranshaw, who recently retired, which for those that have attended his classes over the years kind of stinks. Mr. Cranshaw very well might be the most respected Entomologist on the planet. He spent his amazing career researching in the field and the lab. With his finding he created a massive database of information for arborists to learn. We will miss his incredible dedication to the tree care industry and are thankful for all that he did. Click here to access his publications (Whitney Crensha)
Great Western Tree Care is excited to continue to grow as the industry grows.